Improvement in holdback-hooks



U. B. WINCHELL.

' Hold-Back H ook.

Patented Dc, 10A, 1861.

jfzzfezz'n I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

U. B. WINOHELL, OF OAK HILL, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HOLDB-ACK-HOOKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,915, dated December 10, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, U. B. VINOHELL, of Oak Hill, in the county of Greene and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Holdback-Hooks for Oarriages; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a perspective View of the plate and hook and the cockeye in the position in which they are placed previous to uniting them or after they are disconnected. Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section through the holdback-hook when united. Fig. 3 represents a similar section through t-he plate and hook, the cockeye being removed.

Similar letters of reference, Where they occur in the separate figures, denote like parts of the contrivance in all the views.

My invention consists in combining a cam projection or button on the cockeye with a slot in the plate and a recess in the hook, or their mechanical equivalents, by which after the cockeye and hook are united they cannot be disconnected until the cockeye is turned up into the position, or nearly so, in which it is shown in Fig. 1.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the samewith reference to the drawings.

A is a metal plate, which is fastened to the shafts at the usual points where holdbacks are placed, said plate having a slot a made in it. At the end of the slot there is a hook B, having a recess b on the under side of its lip.

O is a cockeye fastened to the breeching of the harness. This cockeye has upon that part of it which catches over or under the hook Ba projection, cam, orbutton c, so made as that when turned up into the position shown in Fig. l it will readily pass under the hook; but when brought down into a horizontal, or nearly so, position, as shown in Fig. 2, said projection, cam, or button cannot be slipped out from under said hook, and consequently forms an entirely safe and reliable holdback.

When the horse is unhitched from the tracefastenings, the carriage can be run back and the holdbacks will detach themselves. This feature, however, is common to ordinaryholdbacks now in use, and I only mention the fact to show that my holdback possesses all the advantages in this particular point that others do which have not the other advantages of mine.

The slot a in the metal plate may be dispensed with; but the recess b is indispensable, whether it be 011 the hook 0r the plate.

The two devices of hook and cockeye or loop may be transposed, the former being on the hold-back straps and the latter on the shafts, without changing the character of the invention, and the projection on the hook may be on the plate instead of the hook, or the cam may be on the plateA instead of the cockeye, the object being to hold the cockeye in place after it is inserted and brought down to a horizontal, or nearly so, position and be self-detachinglas herein explained, without the use of a spring, which from its light nature is liable to give way, as shown in the drawings.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new in holdback-hooks, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the cam projection or button on the cockeye orloop and the recess, or recess and slot, in the hook and plate when operating together, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein described and represented.

U. B. WINCHELL. Witnesses:

E. T. PEoK, A. B. SroUGHToN. 

